Not a peep…
Despite repeated attempts to get hold of Ryan Stephenson and Mark Maniatt, so far they have not responded.
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Detailed response from Kate Bisson
- The NHS.
I fully support the NHS Reinstatement Bill and, if elected as an MP for Leeds, I would make it one of my first priorities to campaign on this issue and get the Bill included in the Queen’s Speech. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas is the NHS Reinstatement Bill’s primary sponsor. - TTIP.
TTIP is one of the most dangerous international proposals ever to have been brought to the table. As an MP I would vote against this and all other treaties that threaten our democratic rights. The Green Party believes that the profit motive has no place in public life, therefore international agreements that strengthen the hands of corporations to control governments are completely unacceptable. - Fair Asylum Decisions.
The current system demonises asylum seekers and fails to treat them with basic dignity and respect. The system needs root and branch change, as part of a wider culture shift away from the mean and damaging xenophobia that has taken hold of our society in recent years. - Trident Replacement.
I am wholly against the renewal of Trident. Not only would it be illegal to use nuclear weapons, rendering their replacement an extraordinary waste of money, but they are not an effective deterrent against the most severe threats which currently face us, such as cyber crime and terrorism. Furthermore I believe that it is morally unjustifiable to demand that other countries do not develop nuclear weapons while we hold such weapons ourselves, therefore the existence of nuclear weapons is a direct threat to peace. I believe that renewal of Trident directly contravenes international agreements on non-proliferation. - Climate Change.
I first joined the Green Party out of grave concern over the threat of climate change. The Green Party is the only political party that is prepared to take climate change seriously, and places working towards zero carbon at the heart of all its policies for a sustainable society. Green policy is to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% by 2030, a target that goes much further than the current Climate Change Act. The Green Party target is consistent with the latest research from the International Panel on Climate Change regarding the levels of emissions reduction needed to keep warming below 2 degrees, which gives us a decent change of avoiding catastrophic climate change. - Housing And Rents.
The Green Party would regulate the private rental sector and bring social housing back under public control to a much greater extent than it is currently. We would ensure that local authority powers to bring empty properties back into use are properly exercised, and end the Right to Buy scheme that simply reduces the stocks of decent social housing available for those who need it. We would instigate a social house-building programme to provide 500,000 new well-built, affordable homes by the end of the next Parliament. And we would overhaul the benefits system to ensure that everyone has their basic needs of food, shelter and warmth met. This can all be done – our fully costed manifesto includes a financial appendix which shows where the money would be raised to pay for these measures: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/manifesto/Green_Party_2015_General_Election_Manifesto.pdf - Robin Hood Tax.
It is the Green Party’s policy to introduce a Robin Hood tax of 0.1% on transactions in bonds and equities and 0.01% on derivatives, raising up to £20 billion per year which can be spent for the common good. - Benefit Sanctions.
I want to see an end to cruel and unfair sanctions, an end to workfare and an end to the Universal Credit programme that will only worsen the poverty trap that already exists for so many people on low incomes. The Green Party would immediately reform the benefits system to get rid of these nasty practices, increase child benefit and introduce a Citizens’ Pension so that all retired people have security in later life. We would also use the next five years to consult on the introduction a Citizens’ Basic Income which would replace the entire benefits system, ensuring that the poverty trap is eradicated and work really pays. - Fracking.
The scientific community agrees that we need to leave the vast majority of fossil fuels in the ground if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. The amount of shale gas available under our feet in the UK is less than could be created by a serious investment in bio-digesters producing carbon neutral gas from biodegradable waste. Fracking is dirty, dangerous and disruptive. - Arms Embargo Against Israel.
Without hesitation. Furthermore it is my personal belief that the UK should entirely cease manufacturing and trading in weapons, and promote peace.
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